Instrument Scan Strategies of F-117A Pilots

Brown, David L.; Vitense, Holly S.; Wetzel, Paul A.; Anderson, Gretchen M.

doi:10.1037/e449392006-001

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Further demonstrating that the scanning of information in these AOI’s was reduced at the cost of spending more time fixating on or around the runway, which contributed to the reduction in dwell time percentages in these respective AOIs. These findings echo previous work by Van de Merwe et al ( 64 ), which found that fixation rates on various instruments were related to their problem-relevance; with the runway being of prime importance ( 14 ; 46 ). Interestingly, a study by Babu et al ( 7 ) demonstrated that fighter pilots increased their fixation frequency when task difficulty increased during a longitudinal target tracking task, while Tole et al ( 63 ) found no change in the fixation rate of military pilots associated with turbulence in a landing task.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The effects of task difficulty on gaze behaviour during landing with visual flight rules in low-time pilots

Ayala¹,

Zafar²,

Kearns³

et al. 2023

JEMR

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Eye movements have been used to examine the cognitive function of pilots and understand how information processing abilities impact performance. Traditional and advanced measures of gaze behaviour effectively reflect changes in cognitive load, situational awareness, and expert-novice differences. However, the extent to which gaze behaviour changes during the early stages of skill development has yet to be addressed. The current study investigated the impact of task difficulty on gaze behaviour in low-time pilots (N=18) while they completed simulated landing scenarios. An increase in task difficulty resulted in longer fixation of the runway, and a reduction in the stationary gaze entropy (gaze dispersion) and gaze transition entropy (sequence complexity). These findings suggest that pilots’ gaze became less complex and more focused on fewer areas of interest when task difficulty increased. Additionally, a novel approach to identify and track instances when pilots restrict their attention outside the cockpit (i.e., gaze tunneling) was explored and shown to be sensitive to changes in task difficulty. Altogether, the gaze-related metrics used in the present study provide valuable information for assessing pilots gaze behaviour and help further understand how gaze contributes to better performance in low-time pilots.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The effects of task difficulty on gaze behaviour during landing with visual flight rules in low-time pilots

Ayala¹,

Zafar²,

Kearns³

et al. 2023

JEMR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has previously been proposed that the sequencing of dwells between the cockpit instruments may be based around either open-loop or closed-loop control mechanisms (Bellenkes et al, 1997; Brown et al, 2002; Ellis & Stark, 1986; Hameluck, 1990). Closed-loop control suggests that the information gathered from the current dwell location drives the next dwell location.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these conditions, pilots must derive the values of the aforementioned flight variables from discrete, spatially separated cockpit instruments. The pilot’s mental model of the system (see Kieras & Bovair, 1984, or Rouse & Morris, 1986, for a discussion of the development of mental models) drives the visual scanning of these instruments in order to direct visual attention toward the correct instrument at the correct time, in order to obtain the required information (Bellenkes, Wickens, & Kramer, 1997; Brown, Vitenese, Wetzel, & Anderson, 2002). As mentioned previously, such control will require the goal-directed (top-down) system to take precedence over the stimulus-driven (bottom-up) system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flying under pressure: Effects of anxiety on attention and gaze behavior in aviation.

Allsop¹,

Gray²

2014

Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition

136

135

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Landing an aircraft is a complex task that requires effective attentional control in order to be successful. The present study examined how anxiety may influence gaze behavior during the performance of simulated landings. Participants undertook simulated landings in low visibility conditions which required the use of cockpit instruments in order to obtain guidance information. Landings were performed in either anxiety or control conditions, with anxiety being manipulated using a combination of ego-threatening instructions and monetary incentives. Results showed an increase in percentage dwell time toward the outside world in the anxiety conditions. Visual scanning entropy, which is the predictability of visual scanning behavior, showed an increase in the randomness of scanning behavior when anxious. Furthermore, change in scanning randomness from the pre-test to anxiety conditions positively correlated with both the change in cognitive anxiety and change in performance error. These results support the viewpoint that anxiety can negatively affect attentional control.

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“…High visual demand when using touchscreens [46,41,17] raises important concerns with respect to piloting activity, that relies on distributed visual attention and on effective and periodic visual scanning. Furthermore, various studies [14] on ocular movements in cockpits have demonstrated, for example, that the viewing time on an area (Proportional Dwell Time) varies according to the phase of flight [4], that the frequency of fixation depends on the degree of expertise of the pilots and that the matrix of eye transitions changes according to workload [27]. The question of touch interaction in cockpits can therefore not be posed without exploring the effects on eye movements and visual attention when performing the concurrent task, which we decided to analyze in this study.…”

Section: Limitations Of Touchscreen Interaction In the Cockpitmentioning

confidence: 99%